Improvement in cotton and hay presses



AUnirse STATES APwrinvr Ormea.

P. GARDINER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN COTTON AND HAY PRESSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 2,555, dated April 16,1842. t

' Articles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full andexact description thereof.

I denominate my press the improved progressive lever and toggle-jointpress, the follower being moved by the progressive levers, usuallydenominated the toggle-joint; 7 and my improvement consists in theparticular manner in which I actuate or apply the power to said levers.-

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my pressin its ordinary form;` but the frame-work and the construction of thepart for containing the goods to be pressed may be varied, both in formand material, so as to adapt it to the particular purpose for which itis intended, myimprovement being limited to the mannerof actuating thefollower.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the progressive levers and of the otherparts immediately concerned in raising or depressing the follower on myimproved plan of effecting this object'. The explanation given of thispart will embrace everything that is necessary in making the nature ofmy invention fully known. In this figure, A is apart of the stationaryframework of the press, to which the arm or arms B B of the progressivelevers are attached by a joint-pin, the other ends of B B beingconnected to the arm C by a suitable joint. Dis the follower, to thecenter of which the arm Gis also in like manner connected. To the arm Cis attached the curved rack or toothed segment E E, this and the arm Cbeing cast in one piece. Into the teeth of this segment or rack thepinion F is geared, the shaft of which may be turned by means of a winchor by any adequate power applied thereto. The pinion F is so situated asthat when the lever B is in a horizontal` position and the follower D atits lowest point the uppermost teeth of the segment or rack E E will bein gear with it, and when the follower is raised to its greatestelevation the lowermost teeth of the segment will be in gear with saidpinion and the i leversB and C will be in a line with each other. It isnot necessary to give a mathematical demonstration of the nature of thecurve of the toothed segment, as the manner of laying it outmechanically will be obvious to every workman, and would in practicealways be resorted to.

Vhen the press is placed in a vertical position, as represented in thedrawings, the tangent of the curves formed by the segment and pinionwill be in a vertical or nearly vertical line when the follower is atits lowest "point, and when at its highest, said tangent will be is ahorizontal line, or nearly so, and between these points it willprogressivelyvary during the motion of the follower.

This press may be placed either vertically or horizontally, and theprogressive levers may be situated either above or below the follower,as may be preferred. In some cases it may be found best to dispense withthe toothed gearing, and to let chains or bands wind around the shaft,which in the drawings is represented as the pinion-shaft ,"one end ofsuch chains or bands being attached to the extreme ends of the segmentand the other ends to the shaft. It is believed, however, that thetoothed gearing will be preferred to any other arrangement.

Having thus fully described the nature of my improvement and shown thejmanner in which the same is carried into operation, it is to beunderstood that I do not claim the attaching of a curved rack or toothedsegment to one of the arms of that kind of progressive levers usuallydenominated the togglejoint,77 and the combining therewith a toothedpinion by means of which said levers shall be actuated; but Y e What Ido claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The particular manner in which I have arranged and combined thetoothed segment, the pinion, and the toggle-joint, as above set orth,the curved segment being attached to and extending from end to end ofthe upper arm of the progressive levers, and having the requisiteeccentrieity to enable the pinion to operate upon it under anarrangement of parts substantially the same with that herein fullylatter answering the purpose of the toothed described. l pinion, theprinciple of action being the same 2. As a modification of saidarrangement, in either ease. the substitution of chains or bands for theP. G. GARDINER.

toothed gearing, such chains or band passing I Vitnesses: over a plainsegment and being operated up- JOSEPH K. EDGERTON, on by a shaft aroundwhich they Wind, this! CLARENCE s. KISSAME.

